Flexible car roof



Sept. 15, 1925.

C. D. BONSALL FLEXIBLE'CAR RQoF Filed April 4.2, 1924 Patented Sept. 15, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,553,925 PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES nAvrn PoNsAIL, or rIr'rsB'UnGPI, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIGNon. 'ro P. n. MURPHY oOmPANY, or. Naw KENSINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION F PENNSYLVANIA.

FLEXIBLE CAR ROOF.

Application filed April 2, 1924. Serial No. 703,635.

To all whom 'it may concern:

l Be it known that I, CHARLES DAVID BoNsALL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsyly vania, have invented a certain newand useful Improvement in Flexible ,Car Roofs, of which the following is a specification.

My inventionV relates to car roofs and has for its principal object to produce a roof of simple and economical construction that is easy of application and that will readily adapt itself to the distortionsof the car body incident to service conditions. The invention consists in the partsand in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein like numerals refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of a car roof embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectionrthrough a carline andthe portions of .thesheets adjacent thereto;

Fig. 3 is a fragmental "sectionl through the side plate and showing the adjacent portion of the roof sheet in section and the end portion of ,the carline in elevation; and

Figt is a view of a' modified construction showlng the roof applied to a car with wooden side plates.

The present roof comprises carlines 1 that extend from side plate to side plate 2 of the car and wh-ose ends are fastened lto said side plates. It also comprises metal roof sheets 3 which span the spaces bounded by said side plates and carlines and have their ends bent downwardly beyond said side plates without being fastened thereto or to said carlines or to any other portion of the framework ofthe car. The Sheets are preferably made of thick enough gage to be self-supporting and arel stifened by longitudinal ribs or corrugations 4 extending through the body thereof. The side portions of said sheets are offset upwardly as at 5 and have upstanding flanges 6 at their margins; and the .ends of the sheets have,

depending anges 7.

Each of the cai-lines com rises an upper member 8 and av lowermem er 9.riveted or )otherwise rigidly fastened to ether with their side edge portionsl Space apart approximately the thickness of a roof sheet throughout their length. 'Throughout the greater portion of ,its length, the greater portion of the form of the lower member 9 is that of an inverted channel with wide` horizontal flanges 10 along its lower edges; but the end portions 11 of. said lower member are first bent downwardly and then outward horizontally'so that the lower flanges' l of said lower carline member will rest flat-J wise on the top of the side plate, to which they are secured by vertical rivets 12. Preferably the side plate is of Z section with its top flange 13 extending inwardly hori- 17 of said side plates; and the endmost portions of said lateral flanges of the downturned portions of said upper carline member are odset inwardly (as at 18) and riveted latwise against said vertical web of the side plate. By this arrangement, a space is provided between the web 14 of the Side plate and the downturned portion 16 of said upper member suc'ient to receive the end flanges 7 of the roof sheets and permit play thereof. The upper andy lower members of the carline are so proportioned that, when the upper member is superposed on'the lower with their llat web portions in contact, the horizontal Hanges of the upper member are. spaced from the horizontal llanges of the lower member a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the roof sheet; and so that the spaces between the vertical legs of the channels will not' only receive the upturned Hanges of the ends flanged downwardly beyond the vertil .cal webs of the side plates. In the normal position of the roof sheet, the downturned en'd'thereof is spaced outwardly a suliieient distance beyond the vertical web of the side plate and a suiicient distance inwardly from the downturned ends of the upper member of the carline to permit the roof sheet to accommodate itself to the distortions of the roof by sluing thereon. In such sluing movement, two diagonally opposite corners of the roof sheet tend to -move outwardly or away from the side plates, while the other two diagonally opposite corners tend to move toward the side plates, these movements'being incidental to the sliding of the opposite side margins of the roof sheets in opposite directions endwise of the carlines adjacent to said edges respectively.

The ordinary operation of shearing sheet metal produces a draft or rounding of the edge on the punch or shear surface of the sheet and a iin on the edge ofthe opposite.

surface of the sheet. In the manufacture of my carline, I shear suitable rectangular blanks or sections from the sheet material, taking care that the side ins of the blank ,are on the same side or surface; and the blanks are pressed or struck up in such man ner that the lower edges of the upper member of the carline and the up er edges of4 the lower member of the carine are thev rounded edges. -By this contrivance and arrangement, the roof sheets suffer much less abrasion than they would suffer if they rubbed over the inedges ofy the carline members.

In practice, the lower member of the carline is set in place Iand secured to the side plates, the roof sheetA is then located in pro er relation to said lower member of they carline, and the upper member of the carline is then set in placerand riveted to the lower member and to the side plates of the car; and this operation is repeated at the next carline and so forth.

It is noted, that by reason of the above described construction, the roof sheets are kept in proper position to exclude the weather and that their frictional engagements with the horizontal flanges of the carlines prevent undue movement thereof, 'but .that in case of the distortion of the car frame, the sheets are free to move to the extent necessary to prevent undue stress thereon. At the same time, the'downturned ends of the upper member of the carline keep the sheets from sliding crosswise of the .car to an excessive extent.

f Among the advantages ofthe present con?, struction are the great simplicity of the roof sheets and their freedom from severe stresses; alsoithe chea ness and simplicity` of the construction p the carlines, their great strength for a given amount of metal,

and the facility with which` they adapt themselves to the application .of the roof. It is particularly noted that the downward .de-

ection of the end portions of the lower member of the carline serves tov introduce a truss action that greatly increases the cai pacity of thel carline for carrying vertical load; `and 'it is also noted that the crosssection of the carline is such as to 'afford it great strength for resisting the other stresses to whichthe carline is subject in practice. l

In the modified construction illustrated in ig. 4, the side plate is a: wooden timber, and a-wooden shcathingextends to the top of the side plate and is providedtwith a wooden fascia whose upper portion is rabbetted or narrower than the lower portion. In this construction, the f roof sheets and the lower member of the carline are the same as hereinbefore described in connection with the Z-bar side plates; but the end portion of the upper member of the carline is bent vertically downward with its lateral flanges flush with the thicker portion ofthe fascia against which ithis:` secured latwise by bolts that-extend horizontally through the side 7 portion of the top member, the web portions of-said members being secured together atwise in directl contact with each other, and said members being of such dimensions that their flanges are spaced' apart substantially the thickness of a roof sheet..

2. A carlineladapted extend from side I member of inverted channel-shaped section v having horizontal lateral flanges and an upper member of inverted'channel-shaped section havinO horizontal lateral flanges lo` cated above the flanges of said v.lower member, the web portions of said members being secured .together fiatwise indirect contact -with eachother, and'said members being of such dimensions:` thaty their anges ane spaced apartsubstantially'the thickness of a roof sheet, and their sides being spaced further apart.

to side of a car and comprising a lower V 3. 'A carline'comprising a lower member' of inverted channel-shaped' section having lateral anges and an upper member of invertedchannel-shaped section having lateral flanges, the web portions of said members bein secured together flatwise, and lsaid mem rs being ofsuch imensions that their angesv are 'spaced apart. substantially the thickness "of -a --roof sheet throughout the greater portion of their length, and their leo sides being spaced further apart, the endportions of said lower member diverging downwardly from said upper member.

4:. A pressed sheet metal carline of a' length to span from side frame to side frame of a car comprising a lower membe-r of inverted channel-shaped section having horizontal lateral flanges and an upper member of inverted channel-shaped sectionv having horizontal lateral flanges located above the flanges of said lower member, the web portions of said members being secured together flatwise, and said members being of such dimensions that their flanges are spaced apart substantially the thickness of va roof sheet, the adjacent edges of said members being rounded.

5. A carline comprising a. lower member of inverted channel-shaped section having lateral flanges and an upper member of inverted channel-shaped section having lateral flanges, the web portions of said members .being secured together flatwise, and said members being of such dimensions that their flanges are spaced apart substantially the thickness of a .roof sheet throughout the greater portion of v their length and their sides being spaced further apart, the end portions of said lower member diverging downwardly from said upper member, and the end portions of said upper member being bent substantially vertically downwardly beyond the ends of said lower member.

6. A car roof construction comprising Z- bar side plates withtheir upper'flanges eX- tending inwardly, carlines comprising upper and lower members `secured together and to the side plates with the marginal portions of the lower member extending laterally below the sides of the upper member and spaced vertically therefrom toreceive the roof sheets and the side portions of said members being spaced apart sufficiently to receive the roof sheets and movably mounted `'roof sheets extending across the car and having downturned flanges at their ends and upturned flanges along their sides, said side portions of the sheets beinginterposed between the upper and lower members of the carlines and the end flanges being interposed between the side pla-'tes and the upper members of the carline with sufficient clearance for the side and end flanges ot`-l the sheets to permit said sheets to move when the car frame distorts.

7. A car roof construction comprising side plates whose lower portions extend further outwardly than their upper portions, carlines comprising upperand lower members secured together and to the side plates, said members being of inverted channel shape car and having downturned flanges at their.

ends and upturned flanges along their sides,` said side portions of the sheets being interposed between the upper and lower members of the carlines and the end flanges being interposed between the side plates and the downturned portions of the upper members of the carlines with sufficient clearance for the side and end flanges of the sheets to permit said sheets to move when the car frame distorts.

8. A car roof construction comprising Z- bar side plates with their upper flanges extending inwardly, carlines comprising upper and lower channel-shaped members secured together and to theside plates but having their side portions sp-aced apart sufficiently to receive the roof sheets and movably mpunted roof sheets extending across the car and havingrdownturned flanges at-their ends and upturned flanges along their sides, said side portions of the sheets being interposed between the upper and lower members' of the carlines and the end Vflanges being interposed between the side plates and the upper members of the carline, with suftieient clearance for the side and end flanges of the sheets to permit said sheets to move when thel car frame distorts, the end portions of said lower carline member diverging downwardv ly from said upper member and being vsecured to the side plates, and the end portions of said upper member being bent substantially vertically downwardly far enough -allow movement of such sheets.

9. VA carline adapted to extend from side to side of a car and comprisinoF a lower member of substantially inverted channelshaped section having horizontal lateral flanges and an uppercmember of substantially invert/ed channel-shaped section having horizontal lateral flanges located above the flanges of said lower member, the web portions of said members being rigidly secured together flatwise in direct contact with each other, and said members being of such dimensions thattheir sides and lateral flanges are spaced a aart.

Signe-d at ew Kensington, Pa., this 27 th day of March, 1924..

CHARLES DAVID BoNsALL. 

